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Hey folks,

Just bought a 1999 Triumph Trophy 1200 from a friend for a commuter and occasional touring (I live in the Shenandoah Valley) bike. Got a good deal because it's not running. I'm returning to riding and the world of carburetors after a 20+ year absence and, while I'm pretty sure I can shake out the problems, I thought I'd post here to see if there are any interesting ideas of things to look for. I should mention that I'm an engine engineer for a global manufacturer of heavy truck diesel engines, so I'm pretty certain I'll eventually be able to pin this down and actually do the work to solve it. Of course, I want the thing running as of yesterday, so I'll see if maybe you can help get me going.

When I first heard of the bike, my friend told me that he had an occasional problem getting it running right in the mornings and occasionally it would stall. Sounds like a starvation problem to me. A little internet surfing seems to indicate that these bikes may have had a known problem with some of the fuel lines under the tank/seat which simply required some rerouting. This bike also has a petcock with a vacuum operated shut off. I guess it could also make sense that if the vacuum line had a problem, it could be shutting off the fuel at the tank.

After seeing it running good last fall, when he brought it out of storage for a test drive, a cylinder is missing and the engine won't stay running. I'm thinking possibly a fouled plug. Someone else mentioned a bad coil.

So, any interesting comments or ideas? He's trailering the bike down to the house over the next couple of days and I'd like to get a running start.

Thanks for any comments.

Nice bike your getting. New enough that the problem is probably not real serious, and checking the lines is a good place to start. Also run basic troubleshooting on the electrical and ignotion systems. Stuff you might want to do on any used bike you buy, but most of the time, we don't. Now you got a perfect reason to do just that.

WOW! that’s a first for me an engineer asking for Help to find the simplest way of fixing some thing.

Most of the time an engineer will tear right into the engine and electrical just to find a bad fuse.

I'm not putting engineers down but they think way to far a head some times.

Your on the right track.

Most likely a new set of plug & good fuel will help you right out.

Good Luck!!

and post back!

Mike Haverhill, Mass

Quick 350 wrote: Most of the time an engineer will tear right into the engine and electrical just to find a bad fuse.

Hey Aquaduct... I'm in agreement. If the line rerouting, plugs and new fuel don't help, post back. (Post an update if it Does help!)

I'd also recommend grabbing a haynes manual for your bike from somewhere.

Finally, you mentioned the bike was in storage, but not for how long ... Today's gasoline is a horrible mix of nastiness that evaporates rather quickly and leaves a sludge which eventually blocks up carburettors. Keep this in mind, but try the initial tune up first before you go tearing apart the carbs.

And yeah, the rep is certainly deserved.

However, I'm old enough that I'd rather admit ignorance than waste time. I've been in automotive engineering for 20 years but I'm young enough that I've never actually worked with a carburetor. And now I do diesels (we don't need no stinkin' plugs). So I figured I'd see what y'all had to say before I make a fool of myself.

I saw the bike running last November (bought it from a friend at work) so it's been stored for maybe 4 months. I also know the guy that had it and he's fairly meticulous.

I figure I'll start with plugs and wires. Probably change all the fluids and drain the tank and carbs. The last thing I want to attempt is touching the carbs. Might even get a real mechanic to do that, at least the first time to get back to zero if necessary. I (and my wife) want it running ASAP. The season's a wasting

I was hoping someone had heard of the starvation issue with Trophys. I've seen vague references to it, just no details. It would be nice to know where to start looking.

Thanks again and I'll keep you posted.